Taking a Sick Day
by cratermaker
Summary: A fic for AWL. When Jack gets sick, what is Nami to do? Can she take on the farm duties herself? She'd better, otherwise the farm will fall into chaos!Son is a child. Rated T for safety. May contain mild launguage later. Will be hint of romance.
1. Feverish Beginning

**Nami Pov**

I woke up, expecting to see Jack up and getting ready for the busy day ahead. He wasn't in front of his dresser as I expected him to be.

_Oh_ _well,_ I thought. _Maybe he woke up early and went out to water the crops._

I was still very groggy and warm, so I rolled over to snuggle deeper into the covers. What I found, however, was Jack, still conked out next to me in the bed.

"Jack, wake up..." I mumbled, nudging him awake. "You're burning daylight..."

"Nnnn..." he groaned, tossing restlessly.

"Jack?" I said, waking up a little more. I looked closely and saw his cheeks flushed and his forehead damp with sweat. Placing my slender, pale hand on his face, I found it feverish.

"Good grief," I sighed. "You're sick."

I climbed out of bed and changed from my soft yellow pajamas into my white shorts and orange undershirt. Sliding my sleeveless denim jacket over the orange shirt, I ran a finger through my short, choppy red hair.

Having dressed myself save for shoes, I shuffled over to my son's bedroom. I creaked the door open carefully and found him still asleep as well, his arms splayed out and his unruly mop of bright orange hair unkempt.

"Kyo," I called softly, wanting to wake him gently. "Wake up, sweetheart." Kyo stirred, groggily coming to.

"What is it?..." he yawned, pushing himself up. His half-open, bright blue eyes stared at me through his dark bedroom as he waited for my reply.

"We have to go get Dr. Hardy. Daddy is sick," I said, opening the door fully and crossing the room to his bed. He visibly woke up as I mentioned his dad being sick.

"He's sick?" Kyo's small, innocent voice was filled with concern for his father. "We'd better hurry and get Dr. Hardy then!" He hurriedly pushed his covers off of his legs and dropped out of his bed. His turtle pajama pants legs dragged under his heels as he hurried to his dresser.

"Hurry and get dressed, okay?" I said, following him.

"Okay!" Kyo chirped. I ruffled his bright hair fondly and left the room.

"I'm ready, Momma," Kyo said, walking out of his room in his "turtle club" hoodie and jeans. I looked up from my black converse that I'd been tying and smiled.

"You look very nice. Go put your shoes on."

"'Kay," he said, grabbing his yellow tennis shoes that had been sitting by the door and sitting down to put them on.

I went back to tying my converse. When I was done, I stood and grabbed a hair brush from the dresser against the wall. I pulled it through my hair, getting out the tangles I had received from a night of hard sleep.

I cast a glance to Kyo, who was wrestling his laces, and noticed his own messy hair. I walked over as he continued to fumble over his laces, and began to detangle his hair. He didn't even notice, too absorbed in tying his shoes to notice my brush tugging at his hair.

Finally he sighed in frustration.

"Momma! Can you tie my shoes?" Kyo whined, pointing to the laces that he'd mananged to knot together. I hid my smile and nodded. He scooted around and held his feet out for me.

I quickly untangled the laces then tied them back right; I'd gotten pretty good at this over the past few months as Kyo had been trying to tie his own shoes.

"Snug?" I asked, knowing his response from his eyes that lit up.

"As a bug in a rug!" he giggled, beaming and hugging me for thanks.

"Then lets go get the Doc," I said, standing up and helping Kyo to his feet. We walked out into the cool morning and Kyo gave me his hand to hold.

We were finally on our way.


	2. A Trip to Dr Hardy

**A/N: Okay, so far I have one review. Reviews are nice!!  
Thankyou for your lovely review, Awesome Rapidash!! gives you a cookie of your choosing - Your review was very encouraging. I was so encouraged that I decided to post the new chapter quickly for you!! -**

**By the way, to all of my potential readers, reviews make me happy, so if I do not recieve reviews, then I will be sad. A sad Crater makes for an "un-updated" story, and an "un-updated" story makes for sad readers. So if you like my story, press the nice little periwinkle button in the corner and leave me something lovely. (I have a nice basket of coookiiies!!)**

**Disclaimer: I can't believe I forgot this in the previous chappie... whacks self with a frying pan Oh well. I don't own the lovely Harvest Moon. I just own Kyo's name. And the cows. And the sheep. And that pesky goat that refuses to give me milk anymore... scowls And the cickens. And those stupid ducks that don't do anything for me but crowd my chicken coop. scowls more Anyway, on with the story!!**

**Chapter Two: A trip to Dr. Hardy**

**Nami Pov**

As Kyo and I made our way to the end of our property, Kyo slid his small fragile hand into my own, gripping it tightly. We both became silent as we walked in the serene Forget-Me-Not Valley, mesmerized by the bold fall colors that were slowly taking over every tree in the place.

I found my mind focusing on the peaceful silence that had covered the entire valley. It was early morning, so only a few early risers were out getting a jump start on the day.

Gustafa was outside of his tent, strumming his guitar and singing a soft, soothing tune. He tossed a friendly wave our way without stopping his music, and Kyo waved back. He'd taken a liking to Gustafa. I waved back as well, not wanting to come off as rude.

Ruby was sweeping the front mat outside of the Inn.

"Good Morning!" she called our way.

"G'mornin', Grandma Ruby!" Kyo chirped, letting go of my hand to go hug Ruby.

"Morning," I said, offering a small smile to the woman who'd taken me in.

"Where's Jack?" Ruby asked, not used to seeing Kyo and I out without him this early.

"He's not feeling his best this morning," I replied. "We're on our way to get Dr. Hardy now." Ruby nodded.

"Well, I wouldn't want to keep you," she said, giving Kyo another hug before letting him come back to me. He slid his hand back into mine and we continued on our way. "Give Jack my love!" she called after us.

"I will," I called back.

Kyo and I finally arrived at Dr. Hardy's house. He tightened his grip on my hand as I rang the doorbell.

The door opened and Dr. Hardy poked his bald head out into the sunlight, the mirror on his head reflecting the light into my eyes. I squinted.

"Yes?" he said in a gruff, yet kind, voice, his metal eye positively creeping the hell out of Kyo. He quickly recognized us. "Why good morning, Nami and Kyo! What brings you to my humble abode on this fine morning?"

"Jack is sick. We were wondering if you could come check him out," I said getting straight to the point.

"But of course!" Dr. Hardy said, bustling back into his home. "Just let me get my instruments, and we will be on our way."

It didn't take Dr. Hardy long to gather his supplies, and we were soon back on our way to the farm.

We arrived back at Dream Farm not forty-five minutes after we had set off that morning. Bosco, our mutt, barked his little head positively silly at Dr. Hardy when he saw the stunningly unusual looking doctor.

Dr. Hardy only smiled and said, "What a protective dog you have!"

I opened the door and let Dr. Hardy in. Jack was still in bed; his cheeks looked a little redder than before.

Dr. Hardy immediately pulled out his thermometer and stuck it in Jack's mouth, holding it shut. He pulled it out after a short while and read the temperature. He then pulled out his stethescope and listened to his heartbeat and lungs.

I took Kyo back to his room and set him up with his colored pencils to draw me a picture. When I came back out, Dr. Hardy was packing up.

"Well?" I said expectantly. Dr. Hardy sighed and zipped up his bag.

"He's definitely sick, but it's just because of the sudden weather changes. He'll have to rest for a few days. I'll come check on him again in two days to see how he's doing. Some fish soup would help." With that, Dr. Hardy picked up his bag and headed for the door. "Oh," he paused, turning to me again. "You should probably take care of the farm while he's sick." Then he turned and walked out of the door.

_Take care of the farm?_ I wondered to myself. _On my own?_


	3. Farm work? Milking?

**A/N: YAY!! I have reached the lovely five reviews mark. Imagine my glee when I get on the computer and find lovely new reviews from my readers!!**

**I HAVE READERS!!! -glee- Okay, to all who have reviewed, you all have new review cookies waiting for you on this new chapter page!! -holds out basket of steaming, assorted review cookies- Don't all attack at once!! X3**

**Anyhow, your reviews have kept me going so far, so keep 'em coming!! And help me through this BAD BAD writing shlump... (Yes, I am aware that I misspelled "slump." I meant to do that.)**

**--_Crater_**

**Disclaimer: I own it not. NOW READ IT!! X3**

**Chapter 3: Farm Work?**

**Nami's Pov**

I furrowed my brow at the prospect of doing farm work. Me? Wow, this should be interesting.

I shook my head, my red hair rustling against my ears, and walked to the closet. Jack had an old pair of work boots that didn't fit him anymore, and I pulled them on over my converse.

_Good grief, he has big feet, _I mused, lacing the boots. I then took his gloves from the dresser and pulled them on. They were a little loose, but they would have to do.

I quickly left the house and went to the barn. I opened the door and was met with the unpleasant scent of cattle. The livestock took my entrance to mean food and immediately began to groan and bleat at me.

_Oh, goody,_ I mutter to myself. _I get to feed them **all**._

I walked over to the thing where Jack got the fodder and got an armful, carrying it over to a manger with "Clover" painted on the front in Jack's unique handwriting. A black and white cow "moo-ed" and began to munch.

I repeated this step for the rest of Jacks livestock, only tripping once over a fluffy, mild-mannered sheep and scattering the fodder on the barn floor. It didn't seem to care and began to eat it off of the ground behind it's manger. I looked at the name painted on its manger; it said "Cloud." How fitting.

As I dumped the last of the fodder into the horse, Quincy's, manger, I sighed and wiped the sweat off of my forehead with the back of Jack's glove.

"Dang, this is monotonous," I muttered. I got the milking bucket and the stool and set them down on the side of Clover. I sat on the stool and pushed the bucket under Clover's udder. I began to milk, but nothing would come out. I tried again, but, again, no milk came out.

"SHI-" I began, but I felt Kyo tap my shoulder. "-IZZ..." I finished, not wanting to taint Kyo's mind with bad language. "What is it, Baby?" I turned around to see him holding some sort of thing with a suction cup on one end and a transparent container of some sort on the other.

"Try this," he said, pushing it at me. "It's a milker. The sucky thingy goes on the cow's milky thing." I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing at my son's choice of vocabulary.

"Thankyou, Kyo," I said. I put the suction cup on the udder and pressed the "on" button. It began to pump, squeezing the milk that would not come out for me into the container. When it stopped, there was enough milk in there to fill four milk bottles.

"Okay, the other cow is pregnant, and that one's a bull, so I guess I'm done with that." I pushed the stool back and kicked the bucket away, picking up the full milker.

I poured the milk into the bottles on the wall that Jack had, only spilling a little. I'd see that as an accomplishment, seeing as I had Kyo leaning over my shoulder the whole time.

"Let's get these to the storage... thing," I said, handing Kyo two bottles and picking the other two up myself.

We carried them to the storage unit across the way and put them in with all the other food items that Jack had collected so far. There were dried forest foods handing from it's ceiling and dairy products stored on the second shelf to the top. I slid the milk bottles in next to the others and shut the door.

"Okay, two out of several tasks done: milking the cow and feeding the livestock, and a bunch of others to still be done." I sighed and Kyo followed me back to the barn.

**(A/N: What next? Ooh, I'll give you a hint: it has to do with the stubborn goat that refuses to give me milk anymore. Review, my lovely readers!! X3)**


	4. The Evil Goat

**(A/N: Okay, sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been a bit busy, what with midterms this week and all.**

**Anyway, thankyou for my reviews! -passes out review cookies- please continue to read and review! I enjoy getting on and finding more and more! 8D**

**So, now for the evil goat chapter. I'm writing this while listening to the "Hampster Dance REMIX," so if it seems a bit odd, just listen to that song, and watch Nami's anger FLARE at the dumb goat!! -maniacal laughter-**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon or any of the characters, save for Kyo-kun! -huggles chibi Kyo- Yay!**

**ONWARD! -marches on while dragging a wagon of cookies behind her-**

**--Crater**

**Chapter Four: The Evil Goat**

**Nami's Pov**

I walked into the tool shed, looking for the tools that I would probably need now. Kyo ran ahead and put the cow milker on a shelf next to a smaller milker.

"What's that one for?" I asked, pointing to it. Kyo grabbed it and handed it to me.

"It's for the goaty-goat," he said, pulling me with him into the barn. He pointed to a goat sitting there with it's legs folded beneath it. Its manger had "Cameron" painted on it. It bleated as I walked up to it, and I pushed it to its feet. I bent down to attatch the suction cup to it's udder, and it kicked it away. I looked at it, and I swore it glared at me. I blinked twice, and it looked away.

I picked up the milker again, trying to put it on, and Cameron again knocked it away again, bleating angrily at me. I looked up and growled at the goat. My eyebrow twitched, and the goat ignored me, once again laying down.

I got the milker, yet again, and pushed the goat to it's feet. I wrestled with it, trying to make it hold still, and it turned around and bit me. I whapped the side of it's head and clutched my bitten hand to my chest, surveying the bite. She hadn't broken the skin, but it was red, and there were teeth marks.

I tried once again to get the pump on Cameron, and this time it worked. I turned it on, and it began pumping. No milk came out, however, and I stared, confused, at the goat. Kyo came up and turned off the pump, taking it off.

"Cameron doesn't give milk, anymore," he said sheepishly, digging his toe into the dirt floor of the barn. "Daddy still tries, though." My eyebrow twitched, and I let my forhead hit my hand.

"Why didn't you tell me that, Kyo?" I asked tightly. I heard him giggle a little.

"Because you have to take care of Daddy's farm, and I'm showing you how he does it." He was biting his lip to keep from laughing at my face, which was twitching from annoyance.

"I don't like this goat very much..." I muttered, walking past it to the tool shed. I suddenly felt something ram into my rump, and I fell flat on my face. "What was that?" I shrieked angrily, glaring around the barn. All I saw was Kyo laughing hysterically and Cameron shuffling back to her manger. I felt my face twitch a few more times and picked myself up off the floor, dusting off my shirt. "I _really_ don't like this goat very much.

**(A/N: Well, sorry it's so short, but you can only write so much about an evil goat and not have it get monotonous. But, if you hurry and review, I'll update soon. I already have an idea for the next chapter, too! Can you say "chickens and retarded ducks?" -waggles eyebrows- I think you can. REVIEW! )**


	5. Eggs, Chickens, and Pointless Ducks

**(A/N: OHEMGEEEEEEEE!!!! X3**

**I'm so happy now!!! KCemployee, you have my FULL PERMISSION to make a comic out of this!! X3X3X3**

**That made my entire night! WHOOHOO!! Keep up the reviews, people!! I'll try to make this chapter longer than usual. Well, I guess we'll see how it turns out.**

**Thank you for your many reviews!!**

**I wasn't home Wednesday or Thursday, so sorry for not updating. (Though I've gone longer without updating...)**

**Well, on with the story!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon.**

**Claimer: I do own this idea. If I find any stories along these plot lines after my publishing date, published without my permission, I WILL SUUUUUE!! (Just kidding! I'll be flattered. But that doesn't mean you should do it anyway. -glares-)**

**Taking a Sick Day: Chapter Four**

**Eggs, Chickens, and Pointless Ducks**

**Nami's Pov**

I left the tool shed and barn, making my way across the yard to the chicken coop. I heard Kyo shuffling behind me, ready to point out if I did anything wrong.

I opened the door, hit with the smell of farm fowl. Grimacing, I went to the first hen I found and picked it up. There was an egg underneath, and I set the hen aside and picked it up instead. I repeated this with the other two hens, making the mistake of picking up the rooster only once and getting pecked. Then came the ducks. I handed the three eggs to Kyo, who in turn put them in a little wire basket he had with him.

I picked up the first duck, expecting to find an egg underneath.

There was nothing. I reasoned it must be a boy and set it down. I repeated it with the other two and came up with the same results.

Kyo opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off.

"Let me guess; they don't lay eggs," I said, my tone sharp. He nodded quietly, his little smile in place. I took the basket from him and opened the chicken coop door, storming outside where I let out an annoyed roar.

"WHY THE HECK WOULD YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T PROFIT YOU IN ANY WAY?!" I screeched, stomping to the storage unit. "IT'S POINTLESS!"

Kyo apparently found my suffering quite amusing, seeing as when I looked behind me he was rolling on the ground with laughter.

I quickly shoved the eggs in a carton and pushed them in the storage box with the rest of the food products.

"Why does he have something that's of no use to him?" I muttered, fuming all the way back to the tool shed where Kyo was waiting for me. He held out a watering can.

"Time to water the crops," he said in his cheery, little boy voice.

**(A/N: Okay, so it wasn't much longer, but I liked it. Plus, there's not much to do with ducks anyway. (I could have her get sick of them and go after them with an ax... But then the child care people would just come and take Kyo away and send her to the asylum. Oh, well; it was worth a shot. REVIEW!!**


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